MANILA - Sen. Manny Pacquiao will continue to hand out cash aid to Filipinos in need as he travels around the Philippines in the run-up to the 2022 national elections, his spokesperson said Tuesday.

"Sabi niya hindi naman siya titigil na tumulong sa tao dahil lang ayaw ng ibang tao or binibigyan ng ibang kulay," said Nikki de Vega, the senator's legal counsel and spokesperson.

(He said he won't stop helping people just because some people are not in favor of it or just because some people are maligning it.)

Pacquiao earlier drew flak after several videos showed he handed out cash to those who attended his political sortie in Batangas last week.

"Ang sabi niya, 'Attorney, hindi ako titigil gumawa ng kabutihan dahil nangangailangan yung mga tao natin, nagugutom. Nasalanta, tapos titigil ako dahil si DILG binibigyan ng kulay? Ay, hindi,'" de Vega said.

(He said, 'Attorney, I will not stop doing good because our people are in need, they are hungry. They were hit by calamities, and I'll stop just because the DILG is imputing motives? No.')

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier said that there may have been violations in Pacquiao's recent Batangas visit, where crowds trooped to several indoor locations to meet the world boxing icon.

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Pacquiao had denied insinuations of vote buying, saying he was doing it out of charity and that there was no election offense since he was using his personal money.

"Kung gusto po nilang bigyan ng kulay, sila na po yun. Basta tayo po sa team ni Sen. Manny, tumutulong po tayo sa tao," de Vega said.

(If they want to put malice on it, that's on them. But for Sen. Manny's team, we just want to help the people.)

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